Blessed With Work and Making Time for the Things That Matter

My most favorite movie of all time is Return to Me. Have you seen it? One line from that movie is “I’m blessed with work.” I LOVE that line and that sentiment. I think too often people use the word “busy” in this negative connotation. They hide behind it as an excuse not to communicate or do the work required to be in relationships. (“I’m too busy to respond to texts or calls.” “I’m so busy with my schedule I don’t have time to meet you for coffee.”)

They use it as a bragging point. (“We’re so busy with the kids.” “I’m so busy with work.”) And we use it as a way to lift ourselves up and push others away.

Being blessed with work, as the line from Return to Me implies, means that God is taking care of you. He’s giving you work, a paycheck, a way to spend your days, a way to learn about the world, and a way to use your gifts, whatever they may be.

I’ve always found ways to fill my days, but when I was in my 20s I didn’t always look at them as blessings. I volunteered to work long hours at jobs I hated as an excuse for not being ready to have a personal life. It was too scary to “put myself out there” and get serious about love and life. So I was “busy” with jobs that did not fill my soul.

Today, I am blessed with work! It is not just because of the creative life (which incidentally pays less than my corporate gigs and takes just as much time) but it is the joy of MAKING TIME for people and things. I don’t have more time than I did in my 20s when I worked a gazillion hours a week and came home every night exhausted. But I do have relationships that I MAKE TIME for, a marriage that I make time for, weekly volunteering that I make time for, a creative business that I make time for, and while balance is always a challenge for any of us, I feel fulfilled when I make time. We all have the same amount of time in a day, but the question is, what are you willing to make time for?